Menopause & How to combat symptoms with exercise

Menopause can be one of the most challenging stages for a woman.  Fortunately these days people are more aware of the impact it can have on day to day life, and there are many resources available.

Understanding menopause

Peri-menopause starts approx. 5 years before menopause.  This is when periods may be regular or irregular.  Symptoms may include mood swings, night sweats, weight gain and more.

Some factors that may impact on when menopause starts in an individual include:

BMI low = early onset not eating enough for healthy periods

BMI high = late onset, hormone imbalance, more body fat

Smoking = early onset due to toxins and decreased estrogen

Menopause is when a woman has not menstruated in 12 months consecutively.  The normal age in UK is 46-55.

Menopause health implications

During menopause and post menopause can cause some issues in females.  These include:

Heart health, bone density reduction, mental health, insomnia, hot flushes.

Exercise & menopause

Exercise has been found to offset and reduce many symptoms of menopause through the natural release of hormones in the body.  The symptoms proven to reduce include:

Insomnia/ hot flushes/ anxiety/ stress/ weight gain/ joint & muscle pain/ brain fog/ irritability & low mood

So what types of exercises should you look to include in your weekly schedule to help during peri to post menopause?

HIIT – high intensity interval training

Strength training – weights may include body weight, dumbbells, selectorized equipment

Functional strength training – body movement exercises which mimic everyday movement like bending, lifting, squatting

The good news?

With the right exercise and balance in your life you can help to reduce the negative effects of menopause.  While we are not medical experts we do believe that keeping active can help your body and your mind.  We also work with individuals on nutrition and this does change during menopause so if we can help drop us a line!